The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-14
THE IDYL OF THE GRADY

In the land Of coons aud cotton,
Land OF bayous and Of Bourb ms,
Land " heecake and msgnolias,
And the wide mouthed alligators
That are fond Of Northern tourists;
In tho land ofendless summer,
Where the carpetbagging blizzard
Freezes up the oran, orchards
Run by Mrs, Stowe and others
In this land resides the Grady,
Grady Of the fair Atlanta
In the fine old state Of Georgia.
As he sat within his sanctum
Writing with his pom OF iron
Pen of iron, point of diamond
As he piled the Rleamit scissors,
And the pastepot handled deity.
While anon the agile devil
Supplicating stood for copy"
Came voice from far Manhattan
To tho ear Of him the Grady.
Said the voice; 30, come and see us,
Grady, come and have so dinner,
Have plain New England dinner
Grady heard with eyes as listen,
Heard with bosom wildly throbbing,
And he sont q message flying
From At anita h Manhattan,
Saying-many thanks returning
he would gladly come to dinner.
Grady came and ato.his diuner
On the island of Manhattan,
Ate that plain New England dinner;
When the loving feast was over,
WI on the fragrant weed was lighted
And the smoke wreaths mounted upward,
While the toastman raped for order,
Then became the tab es vocal
With the calls for "Grady "Gradyl"
Call for "Menry ". Gradyl"
Calls for Henry v ,odfen GrSdy!"
Bashiul as a mountain daisy,
Flushing like Vassar freshman,
Yet with mien Of one undaunted,
And wi face as bright as sunshine,
And with tongue of sterling silver,
While tho table roaIed about him
With its we'll deep Northern welcome,
To his feet arose the Grady.
Ycni, pidi, uici, Grady.
IL, he came and spoke and conquered
With his trankness and his fervor,
With his wit shafts and his pathos,
With his tender words Of Lii coin,
With his 10 el headed message
From the palm tree TO the pine tree,
With b s earnest pledged assurance
That the New South was torgetiul
% tho things that lay behind her
While she forward presss d for better.
When no sat him down the table
Rang with plaudits to The speaker,
And they telegraphed Atlanta:
HE has done you proud, has Grady"
II, perchance, the head of:Grady
Achod the morning after dinner,
If he ushered in his breakfast
With y double breasted cocktail,
IL his hat, to his Amusement,
Seemed too small by many sizes
To discharso its natural function
That is Grady's private matter,
Nor may strangers intermeddle.
When tho train that bore him homeward
Came to h:!: IL ;s'T Atlanta
All the population met him
Aud in JOY and pr, de Of Grady
Painted all the town with crimson,
With vivid shade of crimson.
Now they'Ie naming babies Grady,
Naming hats and ties THE Grady"
And they 70 swearing 10 TIE Senate
They will elevate the GRADY;
Aye, his party friends are wbisp'ring
That tho magic name of Grady
Would adorn their coming ticket,
Whether il DO splicod to Cleyeland's
Or the style DO Hill and Grady.
Grady, sitting in thy sanctum,
Writing with thy pen Of iron,
Shearing with tho cleaning scissors,
FASTING with the paste tenacious,
Dropp ng In the fatal basket
Many an introspoctive sonnet,
OWING 70 the fearful pressure
On the Constitutions columns.
While anon the egile devil,
Rushing down with locks disheveled,
Supplioates for further copy
Grady, lot them not destroy thee
With the lava Of their taffy;
When admiring DELEGATIONS
Wait upon thee with the offer
To recall the name OF New South,
Substituting Gradiana,
Tell them that they must excuse thee:
Tell them that your taste in chsplets
IL for some thing not so gaudy.
-kes York 7fibane,